The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has engaged youth groups and civil society organisations in Bayelsa State in a one-day interactive session aimed at deepening awareness on local content opportunities and strengthening peaceful co-existence in the Niger Delta.The event, held Friday in Yenagoa, highlighted the NCDMB’s role in job creation, industrialisation, and community engagement. Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, said the NCDMB operates strictly as a regulatory agency established under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010 to promote indigenous participation in the oil and gas sector.He stated that the Board has continued to create employment pathways for Bayelsa youths through direct recruitment, internships, graduate trainee programmes, and contractor staffing requirements. According to him, vacancies are routinely published on the NCDMB website and official social media platforms to ensure transparency.
Dr. Ezeobi disclosed that hundreds of Bayelsa indigenes have already benefitted from various employment and capacity-development initiatives. He added that the engagement was part of a sustained effort to curb youth restiveness and enhance community relations. He further announced that the Yenagoa Youth and Civil Society Forum will now be held annually, complementing other flagship programmes such as the Practical Nigerian Content Forum and the National Undergraduate Essay Competition.
Highlighting major NCDMB investments in Bayelsa State, he cited the 1,000-seat Nigerian Content Tower in Swali, the Nigerian Oil and Gas Parks Scheme (NOGaPS) at Emeyal-1, the Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre, the Brass Island Shipyard, and the Polaku Gas Hub. He also noted that over 3,500 indigenes have received specialised training, while more than 1,200 youths have undergone vocational development programmes supported by the Board.In a keynote address titled “Unlocking Opportunities Through Negotiation,” the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council and Ebenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo (Agada IV), urged participants to adopt negotiation and dialogue rather than violence when resolving conflicts.
King Dakolo attributed persistent issues such as militancy, pipeline vandalism, and piracy to the absence of constructive engagement between oil companies and host communities. He referenced his successful negotiations with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) between 2002 and 2006, which resulted in multi-billion-naira community benefits, electrification projects, and the Nigeria LNG-supported Gbarain power plant.“Even war ends at the negotiation table,” he said, stressing that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 was born out of years of negotiations and now mandates oil companies to establish and fund Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs).
At the close of the session, youth leaders and civil society representatives pledged to promote peace, support local content initiatives, collaborate with operating companies, and share accurate information on NCDMB job openings, capacity-building programmes, and community development projects.Groups represented at the meeting included the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, the Nigerian Youth Council of Nigeria, the Centre for Youth Development, and the Movement for the Survival of the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality (MOSIEND).
